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I am extremely excited to share a big project with you today!

We finally put to use the bricks our neighbor gave us … for free … and made a lovely brick walkway out front. I did a little research online before starting, then we jumped on in. Here’s how it went.

1. We measured the width and length for the walkway, using stakes and twine to mark the area.
I would recommend deciding on the pattern for your bricks before you decide on the width of your path. This will insure that your bricks will fit inside the designated area.
*ahem* I may or may not have done that myself, but would highly recommend you do it.

2. We went 15 feet out from the bottom of the stairs in order to make a nice boundary for the extra parking. The existing blocks were removed before the digging began.

3. Brian and Silas dug out a nice bed for the walkway. You will want to make it deep enough to make your bricks even with the grass level, so take into account the size of your bricks and the layer of sand you will spread before laying the bricks.

4. After all that digging you should take a break. It’s hard work.

5. Before proceeding with the next step, call the crew foreman to inspect your work.

6. To prepare for laying the bricks, spread a nice bed of sand about an inch thick in your path. We worked in sections of about a yard each. As you can see, I placed the bricks fairly close together. Wiggle the bricks into the bed of sand to make them fit securely.

7. Here’s a look at the progress. I decided to alternate my main pattern with a random pattern because there weren’t enough bricks to do the entire thing with my main pattern. I love the patchwork look!
Continue laying bricks until your new walkway is filled.

8. After we finished laying the bricks, we filled in the sides with dirt. I used a two by four to pack it down tightly.

9. Next, dump generous shovels full of sand on your new fancy walk and rub it in using a broom. The goal is to work in as much sand as possible between the cracks. To aid in settling, after the first layer is done lightly spray with water before applying another layer of sand. This part of the process took quite a while to get enough sand in the cracks, so take your time.

10. We were expecting some rain, so I left plenty of extra sand on the surface.
Over the next couple weeks, I swept more sand into the cracks every few days. The hot summer sun has baked the sand into a nice hard seal around the bricks.

TaDa!!! New brick walkway!

Just for fun I decided to make a raised bed at the end of the walk. It seemed like there needed to be a destination at the end, ya know?

I stacked two layers of these funny-shaped bricks and filled it with potting soil and dirt that was dug out to make way for the brick path.

And now, here are entirely too many pictures of my new brick walkway.
I am totally infatuated!

To me, it looks like the brick walk has been in front of the house since it was first built in 1890!

I hope you find these instructions helpful if you’re thinking about installing a brick walkway in your yard. The entire process took several hours of work for three days with my husband, son, and myself doing the labor.

Happy Independence Day!

I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.
Psalm 119:45 NIV

God Bless America!

Here is my latest project….

I started with this little gem that was rejected and stored in the shed loft.
One of the top drawers was broken, so I removed them both to make room for electronic gadgets.

After removing the drawer pulls, I gave it a good cleaning before applying the chalk paint.
The chalk paint recipe I use is this:

3 parts latex paint (I have found a paint with primer works best)
1 part plaster of paris (diluted with an equal amount of hot water)

For example, if I use 1 1/2 cups paint, I would need 1/2 cup plaster of paris that has been diluted with 1/2 cup hot water. Mix these together thoroughly and you’re ready to paint!

For this job I only needed two coats. I like to use a foam roller for the larger flat surfaces and a brush for the corners and curvy places.

When the paint was dry I protected the surface with SC Johnson Paste Wax. If you can’t wait to wax, you may end up rubbing off some of your paint, giving it a light distressed look. By giving it some time to dry the paint should stay in place. I think I waited about 30 minutes after it appeared to be dry before waxing. There was one small edge where the paint rubbed off a tiny bit.

The color is Valspar’s Rattan Palm. Because of the chalk paint mixture, it turned out a bit lighter than the actual paint. I covered the inside with a neutral paint sample I found on the oops-paint shelf.

Brian drilled some holes for wires.

We braced the shelf where the dvd player and Wii will sit with a couple boards from the scrap pile. Brian cut them to fit and we glued them to the sides of the dresser and under the shelf.

Okay – here is what the TV sat on before….
…all chrome and glass contemporary-ness that I never really liked.

Here it is today!

I love how the gadgets rest so neat and tidy inside the cubby.
The drawers are filled with remotes, game controllers, games, manuals, and other assorted junk no one ever wants to look at everyday! The color is about three shades darker than the walls, so blends in nicely.

This project cost me less than $20!

I’m such a geek I just sat on the couch without the TV on to stare it for awhile.
So pretty.

P.S. Did you notice the little boo-boo I made? I thought it was so hilarious I decided to leave it and see if anyone points it out.

Thanks for stopping by today!